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PUBLISHER INFOReturn on Behavior Magazine is published monthly by
TeleFaction A/S
DK 2000 Frederiksberg
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Dispelling Customer Loyalty Myths
>>by Cindy Solomon
If one were to read the thousands of books written
about creating customer loyalty and providing customer service over the past
few years, you might begin to believe that it was an insurmountable task.
Each week the business best seller lists include books telling us that we
must "exceed customer expectations," create "mass customized products" and
so on. Fact is, it really isn't that hard. Much of what we're told about
creating truly loyal customers is not fact but fiction.
Top 5 customer loyalty myths:
Myth #1
Technology will save us. This couldn't be further from the truth. Many of us
have grown up adapting to technology rather than it adapting to us. If we
are serious about creating loyal customers, we must ask ourselves if our
technology is helping us or hurting us. If you have to work around your
technology to serve customers then you shouldn't be using it. Unless your
technology is helping you serve customers faster, more cost efficiently or
with a higher level of service, get rid of it!
Myth #2
As long as we keep our customers satisfied, they will keep coming back.
Contrary to what was true in the '80s and '90s, customers now demand much
more from companies, products and services in order to continue to spend
money with them. In his book, The Loyalty Effect, Fredrich Reicheld found
that of customers who defected from a product or service to a similar
product or service, more than 80 percent of them were actually satisfied.
That means that simply satisfying customers doesn't help us create loyal
customers. Companies have to build deeper and stronger bonds with their
customers because simple satisfaction won't keep them coming back.
Myth #3
We have to exceed expectations to keep customers coming back for more.
Surprisingly, customers are much easier on us than we give them credit for.
We simply have to set the appropriate expectation and then meet it,
consistently! This is not to say that the expectation we set can be
completely out of line with the marketplace, but assuming we are in the
ballpark of our competition, we don't need to exceed anything, simply meet
it. If companies are up front and honest about what to expect from their
product or service, customers are willing to give them the benefit of the
doubt. Remember, time rather than money, is the new commodity for most of
our customers, make sure everyone within your organization is setting
appropriate expectations.
Myth #4
If we had more money and people, we could provide better service. Most
organizations have all that they need to drive significant improvements in
service right now, the secret is in accessing it and then allowing everyone
to be involved. It's impossible to overestimate the power of aligning
everyone in the organization toward a higher goal, something bigger than
each of them as individuals or departments and teams. When everyone within
the organization is allowed to participate in providing solutions and ideas,
the brainpower of the entire organization is accessed and energized. Not
only do you get better ideas that tend to be easier to implement, but you
also gain a feeling of accountability and responsibility throughout the
organization.
Myth #5
Everyone has a poor performer...as long as I keep him/her away from
customers, it's not a big deal. Wrong! Nothing could be farther from the
truth. Not only does a poor performer make your customers angry, they also
affect the overall performance of the team. In a team of five, one poor
performer can bring the overall productivity of the team down by more than
40 percent! Additionally, high performers tend to leave a team because they
don't get enough time or training from their boss. If you are spending all
your time with your poor performer, you have a 76 percent higher chance of
losing your high performers. For the sake of your customers and your high
performers, fire your poor performers now!
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Cindy Solomon |
| About the author: |
| Nationally recognized Speaker, Consultant and Executive Coach Cindy Solomon
provides inspiring keynote presentations, transformative workshops, and
world class executive coaching programs to help you create long-term,
profitable relationships with your customers, your leaders and your
employees. More info:
http://www.cindysolomon.com.
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Your customers experiences equal money. TeleFaction’s Return on Behavior concept helps you to increase the value of your customers’ experiences. Whether you focus on improving customer satisfaction and loyalty, increasing additional sales and resale, reducing churn and loss of customers, or improving your critical business relations in customer service at all contact points, TeleFaction offers a solution that will yield the desired results. Return on Behavior Magazine is a free service from TeleFaction.
Return on Behavior Magazine was produced in cooperation with Customaxi
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